Backpack blowervac collection bag

ABSTRACT

The present invention is directed to a debris collection bag for a blowervac device that is carried on a user&#39;s back. This improves the user&#39;s mobility and allows an increased capacity for the collection bag. The bag&#39;s location provides a comfortable weight distribution by separating the weight of the blowervac from the weight of the collection bag. The bag has a dust dispersion system to direct dust away from the user. The bag has a closure located on the side which makes emptying the bag easier. The bag closure is provided to make opening and closing the bag easier and faster, and resistant to dust and debris.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.15/712,345 filed Sep. 22, 2017, which claims the benefit of U.S.Provisional Application No. 62/399,868 filed on Sep. 26, 2016, entitledBackpack Blowervac Collection Bag. The entire contents of U.S.Provisional Application No. 62/399,868 and U.S. application Ser. No.15/712,345 are incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD OF INVENTION

The present invention relates to blowervacs, specifically the debriscollection bags used with portable blowervacs.

BACKGROUND OF INVENTION

Portable combination blower and vacuum devices (commonly referred to asblowervacs) are well known in the industry. These devices include ahousing with a fan that operates in a first mode to blow air out of atube to disperse debris. In a second mode, the fan direction is reversedto suck air and debris into the tube and deposit the debris into anattached debris collection bag. The collection bag is often attached tothe device immediately adjacent the main housing and often gets in theway of the user as he tries maneuver the device.

Additionally, the weight of the collection bag is supported by theuser's arms, and as the collection bag fills with debris, this becomesheavier and more uncomfortable for the user. Therefore, it would beadvantageous to have a blowervac with an improved collection bag.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The collection bag of the present invention improves the user's mobilityand allows an increased capacity for the collection bag. The collectionbag is separated from the main housing of the device and positioned on auser's back. The bag is designed to improve the ergonomics of the bagand provide a comfortable weight distribution by separating the weightof the blowervac itself from the weight of the collection bag. The baghas a dust dispersion system to direct dust away from the user. A bagclosure is provided to make opening and closing the bag easier andfaster, and resistant to dust and debris (which can be problematic forexisting closure such as zippers). The bag is designed to make emptyingthe bag easier, so that a user can empty the bag with one hand, whilethe bag is still on the user's back.

DRAWINGS

The drawings described herein are for illustrative purposes only ofselected embodiments and not all possible implementations, and are notintended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.

FIG. 1 is a view of a blowervac and collection bag in accordance withthe teachings of a first embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a view of a blowervac and collection bag in accordance withthe teachings of a second embodiment of the present invention;

FIGS. 3A-3G show a blowervac and collection bag in accordance with theteachings of a third embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 shows a blowervac collection bag in accordance with the teachingsof a fourth embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 shows a blowervac collection bag in accordance with the teachingsof a fifth embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6 shows the collection bag of FIG. 5 in an open position;

FIG. 7 shows the collection bag of FIG. 5 in a closed position;

FIG. 8 shows the closure for the collection bag of FIG. 5;

FIG. 9 shows the operation of the closure for the collection bag of FIG.5;

FIG. 10 is another image of the operation of the closure for thecollection bag of FIG. 5;

FIG. 11 shows the connection of the vacuum hose with the collection bagof FIG. 5;

FIGS. 12 and 13 show an example of the dimensions of another embodimentof a collection bag;

FIG. 14 shows a pull tab for the collection bag; and

FIG. 15 shows a buckle for the collection bag.

Corresponding reference numerals indicate corresponding parts throughoutthe several views of the drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

It should be noted that throughout the specification, similar elementsfound in the various embodiments disclosed may be provided with the samereference number for simplicity, and is not intended to limit anyembodiment.

With reference to FIG. 1 of the drawings, a debris collection unit orcollection bag 10 is shown. The collection bag 10 is connected to ablowervac 12 through a flexible transport hose 14. The blowervac 12includes an air tube 16, that when operating in a blow mode blows airout of the air tube 16, and when operating in a vacuum mode, sucks airin through the air tube 16. Alternatively, some blowervacs use differentair tubes for blowing and vacuuming, which must be switched out for thedifferent modes. The blowervacs of both types are known in the art, andthe present invention can be used with any device that vacuums. Thecollection bag 10 includes a single shoulder harness 17 that is placedover a user's should to secure the collection bag 10 to the user's back.A zipper 18 on a lower side of the collection bag 10 allows the user toempty the bag when full.

The collection bag 10 is used when operating the blowervac 12 in thevacuum mode. Debris 13, such as leaves (shown in FIG. 3A), is sucked inthrough the air tube 16 and is typically mulched by a fan inside theblowervac 12 itself. The mulched debris is then travels through thetransport hose 14 and carried into the collection bag 10. The collectionbag is at least partially made of air permeable material to allow air toescape (but not the mulched debris) and so that debris can continue tobe blown into the collection bag 10. When the collection bag 10 is full,the debris can be emptied through the zipper 18.

FIG. 2 shows a second embodiment of the invention showing a blowervac 12and collection bag 20. Here the collection bag 20 uses two shoulderharnesses 22 to secure the collection bag 20 to the user.

FIGS. 3A-3G show a third embodiment of the collection bag in variouspositions while in use. The collection bag 30 is connected to theblowervac 12 through a transport hose 14. Here the collection bag 30 ismade of an air permeable material and is secured to a backplate 32. Thebackplate 32 is rigid enough to provide some support to the bag 30, butalso compliant enough to conform to the user's back and be comfortable.The backplate 32 includes two shoulder harnesses 34 that wrap around auser's shoulder. The backplate 32 is not air permeable, and so shieldsthe user from dirt and debris. Alternatively, the collection bag 30 canbe made so that only a portion is air permeable. For example, the sideadjacent the user's back can be made non-air permeable, while theremainder of the bag is air permeable so that air is blown away from theuser. In another embodiment, the top and bottom portions of the bag canalso be made non-air permeable. In FIG. 3C, a top portion 31 of the bagis made from a solid non-air permeable material.

FIG. 3A shows an electrical cord 33 that provides power to the blowervac12. Although, an electrical cord is shown, it should be understood thatthe blowervac may be powered by batteries or any other power source andstill fall within the scope of the invention.

On one side of the bag is a closure 36 that opens and closes to emptythe collection bag 30. The closure 36 is adjacent the left arm and canbe easily accessed by the user's left arm to open the collection bag 30while still on the user's back. FIGS. 3E-3G show the user opening thecollection bag 30 and emptying its contents. The closure 36 will bedescribed later, but can be access and opened by a single hand of theuser. Once opened, the bag 30 is designed to allow its contents 15, forexample mulched up leaves, to be easily emptied, and if needed the usercan simply grab an opposing end of the bag to lift it up and empty itscontents. This is best shown in FIG. 3G.

Referring now to FIGS. 14 and 15, methods for making the collection bageasier to empty will be shown. The methods will be described inreference to collection bag 50, but can be incorporated into anycollection bag within the scope of the present invention. In FIG. 14, apull tab 100 is secured to a closed end of the bag 50, opposite aclosure 56. The pull tab 100 includes a handle portion 102 that can begrasped by the user. The handle portion is attached to, or is part of astrap 104 that extends to the collection bag 50 and is secured thereto.Here the strap 104 is sewn onto a side portion of the collection bag 56.The strap 104 is secured to the shoulder harness 52 using elastic loops106 to retain the strap 104 in place. When emptying the collection bag50, a user can pull on the handle portion 102 of the pull tab 100, whichwill lift up the closed end of the collection bag 50, and consequently,tilts the open end (eg. closure end 56) downward to help empty itscontents out. Referring to FIG. 3G, the user is lifting the end of thecollection bag by reaching backwards with her right arm to help emptythe bag. The pull tab 100 makes this process easier.

Referring to FIG. 15, a buckle 120 is shown on a shoulder harness of acollection bag. This buckle 120 is placed on the shoulder adjacent theopening of the bag. The buckle 120 when locked (as shown in the two leftimages) keeps a strap 122 in a shorten position. This is the positionwhen the bowervac and collection bag are normally in use. When the userwishes to empty the collection bag, the user can unlock the buckle 120,allowing the additional length of the strap 122 to be utilized, anddropping the open end of the bag (shown in the rightmost image).

FIG. 4 shows a fourth embodiment of a collection bag 40. It is againattached to a blowervac 12 through a transport hose 14. The collectionbag 40 includes two harnesses 42 that secure it to a user. The user sideof the collection bag 40 is made of a non-air permeable rigid orsemi-rigid material to provide support to the bag and shield the userfrom debris. Otherwise, the bag is made of a non-air permeable materialexcept for a small air permeable grill 44 that allows air to pass out ofthe collection bag 40. This directs the dust laden air that is beingexpelled away from the user.

FIG. 5 shows a fifth embodiment of a collection bag 50. The collectionbag 50 is similar to the collection bag 40, except that the ends of theshoulder straps 52 are positioned closer together, and the air grill 54is larger.

FIGS. 6-10 show the closure 56 for the collection bag 50. It is notedthat this closure 56 can be used with any collection bag though. Theclosure 56 includes a pair of rigid latching bars 58 a and 58 b (shownin FIG. 8) located along the end of a flexible sleeve 60. The latchingbars preferably made from a hardened plastic material, but can be anymaterial that provides rigidity to the opening and are also flexibleenough to be closed as will be described later. Referring to FIG. 8, thelatching bars 58 a and 58 b form an opening 61 on the sleeve 60 allowingfor opening and closing of the collection bag 50. One of the latchingbar 58 a includes a buckle 62 with corresponding parts 62 a and 62 onthe ends that are adapted to lock with each other. FIG. 6 shows theclosure 56 with the sleeve 60 in an unfurled position, and the buckle 62unlocked. In this way, the latching bars 58 a and 58 b can be separatedto create the opening 61, and any debris inside can be emptied out.

Referring to FIG. 9, the closing of the closure 56 is shown. First, thelatching bars 58 a and 58 b are placed together and aligned with eachother, as shown in step 1. Then the bars 58 a and 58 b are rolled up thesleeve 60 until it's adjacent the collection bag 50 and can't be rolledany further, as shown in steps 2 and 3. The bars 58 a and 58 b are thenfolded so that the ends of the buckle 62 a and 62 b are brought togetherand locked, as shown in step 4. This prevents the sleeve 60 fromunfurling and keeps the closure 56 closed while the blowervac is in use.FIG. 10 shows another example of the same process.

FIG. 11 shows the attachment of the transport hose 14 to the collectionbag 50 using a connector 63. The connector is made of a pliant stitchbonded fabric with acrylic foam coating, a woven fabric, or othersimilar material. This provides more easier maneuverability of the hose14.

FIGS. 12 and 13 show the dimensions of a collection bag of an embodimentof the present invention. The width of the bag W is approximately 800millimeters, a height H is approximately 500 millimeters and a depth Dis approximately 301 millimeters. Additionally, the sleeve has a widthS_(W) of approximately 130 millimeters and height S_(H) of approximately430 millimeters. Of course it should be understood that the collectionbag can have any dimensions and be of any shape and still fall withinthe scope of the present invention.

The foregoing description of the embodiments has been provided forpurposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to beexhaustive or to limit the disclosure. Individual elements or featuresof a particular embodiment are generally not limited to that particularembodiment, but, where applicable, are interchangeable and can be usedin a selected embodiment, even if not specifically shown or described.The same may also be varied in many ways. Such variations are not to beregarded as a departure from the disclosure, and all such modificationsare intended to be included within the scope of the disclosure.

What is claimed is:
 1. A collection bag for a blowervac comprising: acollection bag adapted to be in fluid communication with a blowervacthrough a hose; at least one shoulder strap secured to the collectionbag to allow the collection bag to be carried on a user's back; whereina first portion of the collection bag is adjacent the user's back and ismade of non-air permeable material, and a second portion of thecollection bag that is not adjacent the user's back is made of an airpermeable material; a first side portion adapted to be connected to ablowervac; and a second side portion opposite the first side portionhaving an opening allowing the contents of the bag to be emptied.
 2. Thecollection bag of claim 1 wherein the collection bag is generallycylindrical in shape.
 3. The collection bag of claim 1, wherein thefirst side portion and the second side portion are made of non-airpermeable material.
 4. The collection bag of claim 1, further comprisinga sleeve that is rolled up to open and close the opening.
 5. Acollection bag for a blowervac comprising: a collection bag adapted tobe in fluid communication with a blowervac through a hose; at least oneshoulder strap secured to the collection bag to allow the collection bagto be carried on a user's back; wherein a first portion of thecollection bag is adjacent the user's back and is made of non-airpermeable material, and a second portion of the collection bag that isnot adjacent the user's back is made of an air permeable material; afirst side portion and a second side portion connecting the firstportion and the second portion, the first side portion and the secondside portion being made of a non-air permeable material.
 6. Thecollection bag of claim 5 wherein the bag is generally cylindrical inshape.
 7. The collection bag of claim 5, wherein the first side portionis adapted to be in fluid communication with the blowervac and thesecond side portion has an opening allowing the contents of the bag tobe emptied.
 8. The collection bag of claim 7, further comprising asleeve that is rolled up to open and close the opening.
 9. A blowervaccomprising: a housing having a motor and a fan, the housing having anair inlet and an air outlet; a tube attached to the air inlet; a hoseattached to the air outlet; a collection bag attached to the hose, thecollection bag having a pair of shoulder strap to allow the collectionbag to be carried on a user's back, a first portion adjacent the user'sback, the first portion being made of an non-air permeable material, asecond portion that is not adjacent the user's back, the second portionbeing made of an air-permeable material, a first side portion and asecond side portion connecting the first portion and the second portion,the first side portion in fluid communication with the hose, and asecond side portion having an opening allowing the contents of the bagto be emptied.
 10. The collection bag of claim 9 wherein the collectionbag is generally cylindrical in shape.
 11. The collection bag of claim9, wherein the first side portion and the second side portion are madeof a non-air permeable material.
 12. The collection bag of claim 9,further comprising a sleeve that is rolled up to open and close theopening.